Christmas nostalgia: Evergreen films that are worth recalling this season
As Hollywood studios turn away from well-made dramas and romances, banal Christmas stories don’t hold the charm of popular films from the past.
It’s that time of the year again. The month of ‘tis and ‘twas, hot warm beverages, chilly days and nights, of friends and families gathering, and taking a nice break to wind down, is finally here.
For people globally, a film having a Christmas release had a special significance, as people could watch it together with friends and family. In fact, the holiday season has seen many Hollywood classics release. This trend, though, has changed recently.
At present, films structured around the ‘Christmas’ theme add up in numbers but don’t always have the same appeal.
Wave of nostalgia
Chris Columbus’ Home Alone (1990)—starring then child actor Macaulay Culkin and his younger brother Kieran Culkin of Succession fame—was an instant global hit. In India, it opened to packed theatres in metro cities in 1991 and soon became a VHS hit.
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The classic cult hit revolves around a young kid Kevin, who is left behind at home when his family leaves for France for the Christmas holidays. Home Alone utilises the usual premises of a family movie—missing one’s family, being strong as a child, letting good triumph over evil—very well. Macaulay Culkin never got another role that brought him as much fame, aside from Richie Rich.
British film Love Actually (2003) brought Richard Curtis, the acclaimed director of romantic dramas, global success. Curtis had made a contemporary romance with Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), Notting Hill (1999), a romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, and won Oscar nominations besides critical praise.
With Love Actually, Curtis interpreted typical British traits in people into heartwarming romances. Some of it beat belief, but it only added to the film’s appeal.
For instance, Hugh Grant plays the hot new British Prime Minister, shimming inside 10, Downing Street, and falling for a member of the staff. He ends up kissing her on the stage of a school play when the lights are off.
Featuring the best of British acting royalty—Grant, Emma Thompson, and Colin Firth, among others—it made for a perfect romantic comedy watch.
Christmas got a black comedy of its own, Bad Santa (2003), starring Billy Bob Thornton, who plays a Santa for hire in an American town.
An alcoholic who won’t shy away from robbing a mall, Thornton’s worldview gradually changes when his paths cross with another crook and an eight-year-old boy.
A runaway success, Bad Santa made for an ideal positive story for the holiday season. It humanised the idea of Christmas—not all is cotton candy, cinnamon cupcakes, and comforting gifts—and focused on those who are lonely, unhappy, and short of money during the holidays.
Kate Winslet, the star of serious films, lets her hair down in The Holiday (2006), with cast members Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, and Jack Black.
The film is best remembered for the heartwarming relationship that Winslet’s character shares with an ageing friend played by Eli Wallach. They discover each other’s strengths through their interaction around the holidays. A popular feel-good film on video and OTT, this one moved beyond Christmas cliches to show the flaws in relationships.
Released on Christmas 2019, Greta Gerwig made an evolved and entertaining take on Little Women. With top stars Meryl Streep, Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern, Timothee Chalamet, and James Norton—the film found an audience worldwide.
The struggles of its women were easy to relate to, and their performances were nothing short of terrific. This film used the holiday release date to make the audiences think and not just look for basic entertainment.
Robert Zemeckis made the masterfully animated and moving story of The Polar Express (2004). With beautifully composed music, artful dances, and a young boy’s story of self-discovery, this evergreen classic introduced a new form of visual animation to cinema.
A forgotten Christmas
As superheroes and biopics took on the reigns of Hollywood in recent years, memorable stories and moving films counting on the Christmas spirit have almost ended.
Almost all studios began to back out of financing visually impressive, feel-good films for the holiday season. They now release only a handful of personality-switch or goofy magic stories each year during the holidays, which make it to OTT platforms, but none leave a lasting impact.
In 2023, Eddie Murphy stars in Candy Cane Lane—a film that begins well, focusing on a father and husband getting downsized just before the Christmas season. As it progresses, it falls into the same trap of repetitive tinkling music, oft-heard carols, and a weak story. Similarly, Family Switch (2023), starring Jennifer Garner, also didn’t make an impact this year.
The holiday season is the time for bringing out engaging and emotional stories about human experiences; these movies help us make memories. However, as superhero films are slowly but certainly losing sustained appeal, let’s hope films that celebrate the embracing spirit of Christmas will come back in vogue soon.
(All images are sourced from IMDb)
Edited by Suman Singh